Zbigniew Kazimierz Boniek (; born 3 March 1956) is a Polish former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

er and manager as well as a current

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

vice-president. A former

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, who was also capable of playing mostly as a right winger and second striker, he is considered one of the greatest Polish players of all time, and was selected by

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

as one of the 100 best living footballers in 2004. In an 80-cap international career, Boniek scored 24 goals and played at three consecutive World Cups, helping

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to 3rd place in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

and making the Team of the Tournament. His greatest achievements in club football were at

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

in Italy, winning the

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

, and

European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

between 1983 and 1985, being the first Polish footballer to win a confederation title and one of the first

Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a geopolitical term encompassing the countries in Baltic region, Northeast Europe (primarily the Baltic states, Baltics), Central Europe (primarily the Visegrád Group), Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (primaril ...

an players to do so with a non-conational club. In 1978 and 1982, he won the Polish Footballer of the Year Award presented by the '' Piłka Nożna'' football weekly. In the early 1990s, Boniek managed several Italian clubs, and also the Poland national team in 2002. In 2019, he was inducted in the

Italian Football Hall of Fame The Italian Football Hall of Fame () is the hall of fame for association football players that have had a significant impact on Italian football. It is housed at the '' Museo del Calcio'' in Coverciano, Italy. History and regulations The Hall o ...

Club career

Boniek was born in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

. He first played for Polish clubs Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at

Widzew Łódź RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football (soccer), football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames ''Czerwona Armia'' (Red Army) and ''Czerwono-biało-czerwoni'' (Red-wh ...

. Boniek transferred to Italian football giants

in 1982. With Juventus he won the

in his first season, also managing a second-place finish in the league and reaching the

1983 European Cup Final The 1983 European Cup final was a Association football, football match held at the Olympic Stadium (Athens), Olympic Stadium, Athens, on 25 May 1983, that saw Hamburger SV of West Germany defeat Juventus FC, Juventus of Italy 1–0. A single goal f ...

in the same season. The following season, his performances proved decisive, as Juventus won both the

title and the

Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...

in 1984, with Boniek scoring the matching-winning goal in the 2–1 victory over

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

of the latter tournament in Basel; he followed up these victories by claiming the

later that year, scoring twice in the 2–0 win against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He also won the

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, against Liverpool once again, winning the penalty that

Michel Platini Michel François Platini (; born 21 June 1955) is a French association football, football Administrator (business), administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'O ...

subsequently converted to win the title for Juventus, although the team's victory was overshadowed by the

Heysel Disaster The Heysel Stadium disaster ( ; ; ) was a crowd disaster on 29 May 1985, when Juventus fans were escaping from an attack by Liverpool fans while they were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, before the start of ...

. The following season, Boniek joined Roma, where he won a second Coppa Italia in 1986, and eventually ended his professional career with the club in 1988.

International career

Boniek represented the Poland national team in 80 international matches between 1976 and 1988, and scored 24 goals. He took part at the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, and

1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...

s with Poland. Although he initially only appeared as a substitute in Poland's two opening group matches at the

1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It wa ...

, he drew attention to himself when he scored two goals in a 3–1 victory over

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in Poland's final match of the group stage, helping his nation top their group; in the second round, however, Poland finished third in their group and were eliminated from the tournament. Boniek later starred in the Polish team that won a bronze medal at the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...

in Spain: he helped his team reach the semi-finals of the tournament, scoring four goals in the process. In the first round, he scored in a 5–1 win over

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

on 22 June, to help Poland top their group; in the second round, he scored a hat-trick in his nation's 3–0 second round victory over

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, in Barcelona, on 28 June, but was forced to miss the semi-final defeat to eventual champions

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

due to a suspension after being booked in the 88th minute of a 0–0 draw against the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He returned to the starting line-up for the victorious third-place match against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and was named to the team of the tournament for his performances throughout the competition. The

was less successful, as Poland only qualified for the second round as the second best third-placed team, and were subsequently eliminated in the second round following a 4–0 defeat to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Style of play

Although Boniek was usually deployed as a

, he was also able to play as a forward. He preferred to operate between the lines in a free role, although he was a versatile player, capable of playing in several offensive and midfield positions on either flank or through the centre, and throughout his career he was deployed as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, as a right winger, in a playmaking role as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, as a centre-forward, or as a second striker; his Juventus manager,

Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), popularly nicknamed "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian former Association football, football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Football in Italy, Italian football ...

, however, often struggled to find the most suitable position for him. Boniek was known for his extroverted personality and his trademark moustache, which made him a highly recognisable player. A tall, brave and hard-working footballer with a large, powerful, and slender physique, he was known for his blistering pace, acceleration, and quick reactions. In particular, Boniek was highly regarded for his ability to make sudden attacking runs to beat the defensive line and get on the end of his teammates' long passes, especially those of

, with whom he formed a close friendship and formidable partnership at the Turin club, which made him lethal on counterattacks; this prompted

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

to describe Boniek as “one of the finest players of their generation.” A highly talented, creative, intelligent, and skilful footballer, he was one of the best dribblers of his time and also displayed superb technique, flair, and class. Although he was not a particularly prolific player, he was known for his eye for goal, and as his clinical finishing with either foot, as well as his head, which enabled him to maintain a consistent goalscoring rate throughout his career; he also earned a reputation for having the tendency to score decisive goals for his team in key matches. Despite his ability, at times he was also criticised, however, for being tactically undisciplined, inconsistent, too static in his movements off the ball, and for not being involved enough in his team's play during matches, which led him to struggle against opponents who did not give him a lot of space. The Juventus president at the time of Boniek's tenure with the club,

Gianni Agnelli Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat S.p.A., Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial ...

, nicknamed him ''Bello di notte'' ("Beauty at night", which is a play on the title of the Buñuel movie '' Belle de Jour'') because of his excellent performances in European club tournament matches, which were played in the evening; indeed, during continental tournaments, his opponents usually allowed him more space and time on the ball than in Serie A, which allowed him to get forward, undertake individual dribbling runs and score goals himself, or drop deep, link up with midfielders and create chances or provide assists for his teammates, courtesy of his passing, vision, and clever movement. He was also nicknamed Zibì by the Italian press. Towards the end of his career, as he lost his pace, he often functioned in a defensive role as a sweeper.

Managerial career

Following his retirement, Boniek pursued a coaching career, but with less success; he also coached in Italy, with stints at

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

in 1990–91,

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

in 1991–92, Sambenedettese in 1992–93, and

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

in 1994–96. Boniek has served as vice-president of the

Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the ), the national cups, and manages the men's and women's national teams. It also runs the nati ...

, and in July 2002 he became the manager of

. He resigned in December 2002, after just five matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats, including a 1–0 home loss against

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

in a European Championship qualifier).

Later career

Following his retirement, Boniek had a successful business career. He later also worked as a pundit and football commentator. According to Polish sources, Boniek had been favoured to become the new Minister of Sport for his country, but he denied the claims and stated that he had no intention of taking the job. In 2004, Boniek was named by

as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers, as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. On 12 October 2009, he received the Golden Foot 'Legend' career award. On 26 October 2012, he became the chairman of the

. He is popular for speaking in favour of decriminalising football fans by legalising

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, q ...

inside stadiums, a common practice among

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...

. His term of office ended on 18 August 2021, and he was succeeded by Cezary Kulesza.

Personal life

Boniek has a university diploma in education. His father, Józef Boniek, was also a professional football player and later a manager. In 1976, he married his wife Wiesława, a specialist in

Romance studies Romance studies or Romance philology (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is an academic discipline that covers the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of areas that speak Romance languages. Romance studies departments usually include the study of Spa ...

, with whom he has three children: two daughters Karolina and Kamila and son Tomasz.

Legacy

Honduran international footballer Óscar Boniek García was given the middle name ''Boniek'' in honour of Zbigniew Boniek. García chose to have the name "Boniek" written across the back of his jersey while playing for

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Boniek Forbes (born 30 September 1983) is a

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a winger for

Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...

. He played for Leyton Orient in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

. In 2018, Boniek became an honorary citizen of

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

. In 2019, he was named the most influential person in Polish sport by the Forbes Polska magazine and Pentagon Research. The same year, he was voted as a member of Poland's Team of the Century in a poll organized on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the

. In 2020, Boniek's

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

entitled ''Zibi, czyli Boniek'' written by Roman Kołtoń was published. The footballer himself also published his autobiography the same year entitled ''Zbigniew Boniek. Mecze mojego życia'' (Zbigniew Boniek: The Matches of My Life).

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list Poland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Boniek goal''.

Honours

Widzew Łódź *

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

: 1980–81, 1981–82 Juventus *

: 1983–84 *

: 1982–83 *

: 1984–85 *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

: 1983–84 Roma *Coppa Italia: 1985–86 Poland *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

third place:

Individual * Polish Newcomer of the Year: 1976 * ''Piłka Nożna'' Polish Footballer of the Year: 1978, 1982 *

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...

third place:

* FIFA World Cup All-star Team:

* ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1982 *

FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...

: 2004 * Golden Foot Legends Award: 2009 * FAI International Football Awards – International Personality: 2012 *

: 2019 *

National Team of the Century: 1919–2019 Orders * Boniek was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

: 1982 ''Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski'' * Boniek is a 3rd class knight of

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

: 1997 ''Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana''

Notes

References

External links

*
A song (in Polish) dedicated to Boniek

BBC: Pele's list of the greatest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boniek, Zbigniew 1956 births Living people Footballers from Bydgoszcz Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards FIFA 100 Polish men's footballers Polish football managers Polish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Poland men's international footballers Zawisza Bydgoszcz players Widzew Łódź players AS Roma players Juventus FC players UEFA Champions League–winning players Serie A players Expatriate men's footballers in Italy US Lecce managers SSC Bari managers US Sambenedettese managers US Avellino 1912 managers Serie A managers Expatriate football managers in Italy Poland national football team managers 1978 FIFA World Cup players 1982 FIFA World Cup players 1986 FIFA World Cup players Polish expatriate men's footballers Ekstraklasa players Polish Roman Catholics Polish expatriate football managers Polish sports executives and administrators 20th-century Polish sportsmen